


Elusive

by geneeste



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, F/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-23
Updated: 2011-06-23
Packaged: 2017-10-20 16:03:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/214518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geneeste/pseuds/geneeste
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She had been just the littlest bit aloof; her smile was never all there, her laugh was always distant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Elusive

**Author's Note:**

> Category: UST, Angst, Hurt/Comfort  
> Spoilers: Paradise Lost  
> Season: Late Season 6.  
> Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story was created for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).  
> Author’s Notes: Paradise Lost ep addy.

In all fairness, Carter should have been checking up on him. He had spent his time in the infirmary, spent his time off-duty, and all through it she had doted and joked and talked – she had been there.

At least, in body. But not in mind.

She had been just the littlest bit aloof; her smile was never all there, her laugh was always distant. It was unlike Carter, and she had to have known that he would notice it.

Needless to say, he was worried about her. He wasn’t stupid; he knew her well enough to know why she would want some distance from him.

But, of course, he wasn’t about to let her have it.

Walking quietly to her lab, he raised his hand and rapped his knuckles against the door. “Carter?”

It was silent for a moment, then he heard her softly from inside. “Come in, sir.”

He opened the door and stepped inside, and stopped.

The lights were out.

Not even her computer monitor was on, which was just about as radical for Carter as Maybourne’s grenade fixation.

He slid his hand along the wall, found the light, and flipped it on. When his eyes adjusted, the sight would have amused him if he hadn’t been so damned bemused by her behavior. She was sitting slouched in her chair, feet propped up on her desk, with her eyes closed. She didn’t open her eyes, just sighed heavily.

He frowned. “Whatcha doing, Carter?”

She did open her eyes then, an honest smile on her face. “Believe it or not, thoroughly enjoying myself.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Ah. How exactly?”

She leaned back further in her chair, obviously unconcerned with his presence. She motioned him to an adjacent chair. “The lights aren’t on, the machines are off, and I’m not doing a thing. Well, not actively anyway. It’s nice.”

He looked at her skeptically. “Really.”

Her smiled lessened a bit. “What, you thank I can't just enjoy doing nothing every once in a while?”

He should have been bothered by her soft, familiar tone, but he wasn’t. He was disturbingly pleased by it. He moved to sit. “No. I’m just saying it’s...unusual for you. Not fitting with what I know as your normal behavior.”

Her face went carefully blank. “Not a lot of things have been normal lately.”

Searching her eyes, he nodded slightly. “No, they haven’t.” He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, getting a closer view of her face. “It really wasn’t your fault, you know. You don’t need to beat yourself up about it.”

The smile came back, albeit small and a little self-deprecating. “You wouldn’t have let him get the zat.”

He conceded. “But I had reason to not trust him.”

She leveled a look at him, reminding him of old times. “And I didn’t?”

He winced. “Look, it doesn’t matter. You got me back. Again, I might add.”

~

She knew what he was doing; he was trying to lift the burden of blame from her shoulders, regardless of whether it belonged there. He didn’t think about it. He just knew it was bothering her and his natural instinct was to fix it.

She appreciated it. It was just misguided.

She looked away, and her gaze settled on her desk. The closeness they felt here, behind closed doors and away from prying eyes was wonderful; it fed her heart in ways she didn’t want to acknowledge. But it also came with a heavy price.

She licked her lips, took a deep breath, and said – for once – exactly what she was thinking. “I don’t want to lose you.”

He drew himself up, taken aback. “You won’t.”

Tearing her eyes away from her desktop, she saw startling honesty in his. Serious, absolute confidence and honesty.

“I’m not going anywhere, Carter. I don’t care what you think might happen. I have too much to look forward to.” It was a not-so-elusive hint of the future, and she felt her pulse kick up a notch.

She knew her voice was husky, and she didn’t care. “I’ll hold you to that.”

His eyes darkened, and a ghost of a grin touched his face. "I hope you do."


End file.
